1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a gaseous blend of Ox and a method for applying the gaseous blend of Ox to mail components to significantly reduce any detrimental biological pathogens thereon.
2. Background of the Technology
The microbiological security of mail components and in-transit parcels has become a primary concern for both government based mail systems as well as private business. With biological warfare issues on the rise and the potential for accidental contamination with a number of aggressive organisms such as Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), hemmoraghic E. coli, and numerous virus particles, a system for the sanitization of these suspect parcels is a high priority for the safety of the general population. To date, several systems have been utilized or proposed as control systems. These include cobalt irradiation, electron beam irradiation, high pressure steam, and high intensity ultraviolet (UV).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,419 discloses an apparatus for irradiating solids embodying pathogens that includes an irradiation chamber surrounded by a barrier of concrete; an endless conveyor; and an irradiation source, wherein said endless conveyor carries individual open top containers through said chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,740 discloses a chemical and biological air purifier that includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet both aligned on a longitudinal axis, a turbulence generator, one or more vacuum ultraviolet (UV) sources to achieve chemical purification and one or more germicidal ultraviolet (UV) sources to achieve biological purification.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,601 discloses a method for sterilizing microorganims, including anthrax, that includes applying to at least a pair of electrodes extending into said area to be treated a voltage of at least 0.4 V per meter of electrode distance per pair of electrodes; passing a direct current through said area to be treated to alter the capacitance of the material being treated; and causing an electric discharge therethrough when its capacitance is overloaded.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,330 discloses an atmospheric-pressure plasma decontamination/sterilization chamber. The patent discloses that the apparatus is useful for decontaminating sensitive equipment and materials, such as electronics, optics and national treasures, which have been contaminated with chemical and/or biological warfare agents, such as anthrax, mustard blistering agent, VX nerve gas, and the like. Items to be decontaminated or sterilized are supported inside the chamber. Reactive gases containing atomic and metastable oxygen species are generated by an atmospheric-pressure plasma discharge in a He/O2 mixture and directed into the region of these items resulting in chemical reaction between the reactive species and organic substances. This reaction typically kills and/or neutralizes the contamination without damaging most equipment and materials. The plasma gases are recirculated through a closed-loop system to minimize the loss of helium and the possibility of escape of aerosolized harmful substances.
These systems have a number of major constraints to be considered effective on a widespread scale. For example, the irradiation systems are extremely expensive to construct as well as maintain. Such systems are also limited as to the types of parcels that can be treated since they interact with any metal (i.e., staples, paper clips, etc.), which can cause combustion of the parcel. Severe damage to computer disks, photographs as well as magnetic media would require that mail containing these items be sorted out, thus making radiation based processes less than desirable. High pressure steam and any system which involves liquid water or solutions create a plethora of problems with adhesives and printing media. UV systems are only effective as a surface treatment and destroy most common marking systems and inks. In addition, there is a concern in the medical industry that many of these systems will interact with pharmaceuticals and medical devices that are often sent through the mail.
A number of commercial sterilants and fumigants are presently used to reduce biological pathogens. The most widely used are ethylene oxide, hydrogen phosphide, and hydrogen cyanide. As disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/217,581, many of these compounds pose hazardous conditions for application personnel and can form deleterious residues on the materials that are treated. Furthermore, some of the traditional sterilants and fumigants have been identified with the formation of carcinogens and mutagens.
Ozone (O3) and its primary active component, atomic oxygen, have been used in water and commodity sterilization for about 100 years. However, as discussed in more detail below, prior treatment methods using O3 would be ineffective for treating mail components.
U.S. application Ser. No. 09/217,581 discloses a method and apparatus that uses a gaseous mixture of oxygen-containing gases, i.e., O3, O2 and O1, hereinafter referred to as Ox, to reduce biological loads on consumer products to eliminate pathogens.
U.S. applications Ser. Nos. 09/689,631; 60/276,041; and 09/903,605 disclose additional embodiments of the invention disclosed in application Ser. No. 09/217,581.